Building Codes Officials Deliver Historic Improvement in Energy Efficiency

More than 500 state and local code officials voted on changes last week to the nation’s model energy code to achieve energy savings of 30% relative to the 2006 model code.

The new 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) meets the 30% savings goal sought by the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National Association of State Energy Officials, governors, lawmakers, and the broad-based Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC). The model energy code governs home and commercial building construction, additions, and renovations in 47 states and the District of Columbia where local building codes are based on these national model standards.

The proposals adopted into the new code address all aspects of residential and commercial building construction, laying a strong foundation for residential efficiency gains and leading commercial building efficiency improvements. In the residential sector, improvements will:

• Ensure that new homes are better sealed to reduce heating and cooling losses
• Improve the efficiency of windows and skylights
• Increase insulation in ceilings, walls, and foundations
• Reduce wasted energy from leaky heating and cooling ducts
• Improve hot-water distribution systems to reduce wasted energy and water in piping
• Boost lighting efficiency.

The package of improvements for commercial buildings should match those for homes in terms of energy savings. In addition to many of the features cited above, the commercial buildings package includes continuous air barriers, daylighting controls, use of economizers in additional climates, and a choice of three paths for designers and developers to increase efficiency: renewable energy systems, more efficient HVAC equipment, orimprovedlighting systems. The package also requires commissioning of new buildings to ensure that the actual energy performance of the building meets the design intent.

"It is notable that the votes that will have the most profound impact on national energy and environmental policy this year weren’theld in Washington or a state capital, but by governmental officials assembled by the International Code Council in Charlotte, North Carolina," said EECC Executive Director William Fay.

Government voting representatives also rejected several proposals to weaken the IECC. Key among them were proposals to reinstate a provision of the 2009 IECC that eliminated “tradeoffs,” under which builders installed less efficient insulation and windows in exchange for more efficient heating & cooling (HVAC) equipment that would have been installed anyway. “Efficiency shouldn’t be an either/or proposition,” Fay said. “We need to both improve building envelopes and install high-efficiency HVAC systems. It makes no sense to ‘trade away’ the long-lasting energy savings from tighter buildings.”

“The next goal will be for states and localities to adopt the 2012 IECC so that all new homebuyers and commercial building owners can begin to benefit from improved efficiency,” Fay added. “And because states have committed to the federal government to demonstrate 90% compliance with the IECC by 2017, we want to work to support collaboration at all levels of government to ensure adequate training and other support for the code officials who must meet this ambitious compliance target.”